It’s no secret that the McIlvain family has a long history in the U.S. lumber industry that extends back to before our country was even a nation. But did you know that throughout the Colonial era, Walnut lumber was also exported? British and European artisans were quick to notice this native species’ distinctively appealing hue […]
Lumber
Ipe Wood: Premier Tropical Decking Material, Part 3
Ipe wood is an excellent choice as far as tropical decking materials go. Not only is it durable, long-lasting, and available in high grades, it is renowned for coming in a variety of beautiful color choices. In this article, we will wrap up our series on Ipe (see Parts 1 & 2) by taking a […]
Ipe Wood: Premier Tropical Decking Material, Part 2
In our first installment of this series on Ipe wood, we took a look at some of the reasons why Ipe is so popular, especially as a decking material. These reasons included Ipe’s hardness, density, longevity, stability, uniform radial and tangential movement, fire and insect resistance, and availability in different sizes. In this article, we’ll […]
Ipe Wood: Premier Tropical Decking Material, Part 1
Ipe is in high demand for both commercial and residential decking projects. Once you become familiar with the benefits of this Brazilian tropical hardwood species, chances are you won’t have any trouble understanding its continual growth in popularity. There are all sorts of reasons why everyone from lumber dealers to construction companies to end customers […]
Home Builders Benefit from Recent Changes in Teak Market – Part 3
To some in the lumber industry, Teak seems to be a species that is really gaining some much-deserved attention. Though it’s long been revered in boat building circles (see Part 1), it’s starting to be piquing the interest of home builders as well (see Part 2). Though most imported Teak lumber is of exceptional quality, […]
Home Builders Benefit from Recent Changes in Teak Market – Part 2
In the first article of our series, we discussed how increased access to Teak in the international lumber market could lead to some exciting advantages for home builders. We started off by mentioning how buying top-grade Teak in bulk is necessary due to the high-quality demands of boat builders. Then we touched on the process […]
Home Builders Benefit from Recent Changes in Teak Market – Part 1
Changes to export regulations and logging bans in Myanmar are starting to have a major impact on the Teak market. Interestingly, these political changes abroad can have some beneficial side effects for home builders here at home. That’s because Teak lumber materials, which were once pretty hard to come by, have become much more accessible. […]
Why Home Builders Should Consider Teak, Part 2
If you’ve read our first post on this topic, you understand why there’s currently an abundance of Teak ready and waiting for home builders and those in other industries — despite a shortage for boat builders. Not only is this situation favorable to you as a home builder, but it also poses an exciting potential […]
Why Home Builders Should Consider Teak, Part 1
Between constantly changing export regulations and logging bans on Myanmar, the Teak market is constantly in flux. As one of the most significant importers of Teak in the U.S., J. Gibson McIlvain Lumber keeps a constant watch on these issues and tries to keep as much of an inventory of Teak on hand as possible; […]
How Shipping Costs & Order Size Affect Lumber Pricing
Lumber pricing gets a bad rap, and we understand why. No, really, we do. Not one of us likes to feel as if we’re paying more than we should be, and when pricing isn’t published or straightforward, it’s easy to feel skeptical. Well, no matter how much we wish we could, we cannot provide a […]